Special Episode 12 – The Dark War
Sometimes, when nothing is left, all I can do is smile and cheer. That’s why I kept smiling, even as the world fell apart around me. Maybe that’s what made me so resistant to those Shadows. Maybe it was just survival.
Maybe I just didn’t want to admit defeat, and smiling was all I could do against it.
I’m somewhere deep inside the life of another person, now. Or another two, or maybe even three people. I’m not “here” anymore. I’m just their memories. Yet, somehow, it feels like they’re talking about me again. Maybe they’re dreaming.
It has me thinking about the past. How it all happened when the first tamer of that dark power—Dark Matter—was taken down.
And how it gave rise to the Dark War.
<><><>
Dad’s Shadow Fortress was a floating citadel to the south of Quartz Mountain, powered by unknown technology. That’s what Remi called it; obviously, Dad didn’t want it to be named anything like that, no matter how cool and awesome that sounded.
It also helped make sure his ego was in check. That dark force was corroding him; she had to remind him of his innocence as much as possible to keep him sane.
The flying fortress was powered by a mysterious energy that seemed counter to whatever it was that powered Destiny Tower. An Anti-Divine energy. Or was it anti-Radiance? If that’s the case, it was
obviously called Shadow Energy, or Dark Energy. But Dark was already related to a subset of Pokémon, and Remi was criticized for calling it Dark Energy. So, instead, she called it Shadow Energy, and it stuck.
At least, to Manny, it stuck. He said something about ‘Dark Energy’ already being the name for something else, but that was just another one of his strange stories.
What mattered was it was a floating spooky castle filled with anti-Radiant energy, and it was cool. And Dad oversaw it. Maybe he was evil, but he was cool, too, and he was still Dad. He was still nice. And maybe one day, if she fought a little harder, she’d be able to get through to him.
Dad always said that Battlehearts like him were just hidden away in the world. Everyone had a small bit of a Battleheart in them, and Dad’s was just more pronounced. And Battlehearts debated and understood one another through battle, and sometimes, the loser of the fight was the winner of the debate. Dad was stronger. But she had heart.
So, she was going to try to beat him again. She wouldn’t win, but the feelings of her heart would flow to him. Maybe she could keep him around. for a little while longer. That was their unspoken routine.
And that was why this lithe Sceptile was hidden inside a supply crate of fruits, curled up and nestled between countless Oran Berries, munching on one to pass the time. She had inherited some of her mother’s powers somehow, maybe from exposure or something divine. She didn’t care.
Inherited didn’t mean it was all that strong, though. But it was
just enough to pass through the crate unnoticed with some spectral tunneling.
These berries weren’t fully ripe yet. That was her main tragedy on this trip.
Soon, the crate rumbled and it was hauled onto a heavy-duty flying Pokémon and sent off for the flying fortress.
Then came the hardest part of her infiltrations: waiting to land. She was never the most patient Pokémon. The fliers were so
slow! But she guessed she couldn’t blame them if they were carrying her and a load of berries at the same time.
Mercifully, the crate was eventually hauled onto the ground. This was usually when they would open the crate, transport it, or perhaps even scan it for auras again. She’d already evaded it the first time, but while stuck inside, that would be a bad idea. It was time for another warp.
Spectral energy pooled in the Sceptile’s claws like dewdrops, eventually coalescing into a stretchy ball of ectoplasm-like taffy. She wriggled her body and burrowed underneath the berries, making her way to the bottom of the crate. While it was harder to move, she had the strength to push through.
She pasted the plasm-taffy onto the bottom of the crate and held her palm against it. Radiant energy channeled through her arm and into the plasma, lighting it up. The circle expanded, and in an instant, the crate’s floor was gone, and she saw soil in the glow. The artificial terrain of the flying fortress.
She burrowed through and tried to keep most of the berries inside. Once she was completely out of the crate, dust threatening to make her sneeze, the crate itself rumbled as it was lifted off to be hauled somewhere else. Despite this, the portal she’d made did not disappear—though it would soon if it got too far away.
Hastily, she stuck her claw at the portal's edge and peeled it off, instantly dissipating the connection. She balled up the ectoplasm and stuck it in her mouth like a big wad of gum for future use. And because it kinda tasted like Oran Berries now.
She continued to burrow, staying near the surface so she could overhear anyone who spotted her, but not so close that she made any noise. She had this place memorized by now and was confident, based on the footfalls, of where she was.
There! She was safe to emerge.
She wriggled upward and burst out from the soil with a quiet breath, earthen magic closing the burrow behind her once she’d fully emerged.
“Remi.”
“Yeep!” Remi leaped backward and drew out a Leaf Blade from her wrist, slicing at the speaker. A golden barrier flecked with darkness parried the blow so she followed up with her other wrist’s blade. That, too, was parried.
Then, a similar barrier appeared around her whole body like a bubble.
“H-hey!” Remi shouted. “Dad, no fair! You said you wouldn’t do that anymore!”
“Remi, why are you invading my base again?”
“’Cuz you keep making it easy, that’s why!” Remi said. “I mean, come on, a supply crate infiltration? Who even gets away with that anymore?!”
The huge Charizard narrowed his eyes with an unimpressed squint. “If it was so impossible to get away with, why did you do it?”
Cornered again. Her father was always impossible to beat.
When Remi didn’t say anything for too long, Dad finally sighed and said, “Do you want to go for a walk?”
“Yeah!” Remi pumped her fists in the air.
“But nowhere that’s important, alright? I don’t want you… involved in all of this, Remi. I just want you to live a happy life. That’s what I’m fighting here for.”
“I know.” Remi nodded. Her real goal was just to make sure he was alright, after all. That was the only ‘important’ thing here. “And so is Necrozma and the others, but…” she nodded again. “I know. I won’t talk about it during our walk. We’ll… just be Dad and me again.”
“Right.” Dad stared at the wall, made from dark stones, and had a strangely suppressive atmosphere about them. “Just… like old times.”
<><><>
Remi woke up in the middle of the night after a wonderful, bitter dream. She had been enjoying a picnic with Mom and Dad, and she was a little Treecko again, and the sky was bright and there wasn’t anything she had to worry about.
Reality hit her mere seconds after she awoke on that deep, dark night. The cold air, the lack of any flame…
Her claws dug into the soft soil beneath her. She was tempted to dig herself in completely and see if she could ingrain at all with it, just for some strange primal comfort.
The house was completely silent. Living alone was torture. But she couldn’t find it in her to move back in with Mom when… it would mean she’d have picked a side.
Not that it meant anything anymore. Dad was dead.
And Necrozma had given the order.
Knock knock knock.
Sounded like a rock against the wood.
At first, Remi didn’t want to answer. It was the worst time possible. Midnight, probably. But the worst was that nobody visited anymore. She’d broken up with her ex, Mom was too busy being Lunala, and…
Knock. Knock knock.
Remi growled to herself and stood up. In the dark, her night vision helped her navigate in grayscale.
Her home was a cave of vines and leaves that she had constructed herself between two trees as the main foundation. The ceiling was a few inches above her head when standing fully upright, but she habitually crawled. It appealed to her primal instincts.
The cylindrical hall went up a gentle incline before leveling out at the main entrance. She tugged at a vine and the door rolled to the side.
A Shiftry stood there, glowing in the night, with his arms crossed and his head lowered.
Remi released the vine and it closed.
“Wait—”
Remi cursed him.
“Please,” Necrozma begged, “I only want to talk.”
His voice was muffled behind the door, but she kept her claws over the vine. He wouldn’t see it. But she always hesitated in saying no.
She pulled on the vine again, reopening the entrance.
“What?” Remi demanded.
Necrozma, in his Shiftry body, closed his eyes and lowered his head. “I’m sorry for what happened,” he said. “I will rectify it when this is over. That is my promise to you.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?” Remi asked. “You’re going to end the world. Everything that I call my home is going to be
gone if you win, and I know it! Don’t try to give me vague words that it’ll all be okay.
You’re ending the world!”
“The force we’re against will do far worse,” Necrozma said sharply.
“What can possibly be worse?!”
The Shiftry opened his mouth as if to counter. He paused and then seemed to deflate.
“You deserve to know,” he said, “the nature of what I’m fighting against, and why Star and Barky ultimately agreed the way they did. I explained this to your father as well, but he was too far gone.”
Remi continued to glare.
“Can we talk?”
“Where’s Mom?”
“She’s just fine. The others are at Destiny Tower preparing a few things. That’s all.” He nodded.
Could she believe that? Did she have any reason to think otherwise? Not really. Necrozma’s side of the war just got a serious upper hand.
“Fine,” Remi said.
It was late, she was tired, but she was too worked up for bed now. If Necrozma could at least explain a thing or two about what was going on, and if he had some kind of assurance for all of this… fine. But if it was anything like the last time, Remi resolved, then she’d kick him right out.
She walked down the leafy hallway and slipped into a small living room fitted with soft leaves for seats and several oversized leaves that blocked the otherwise open windows. She curled up and then stretched on one of those leafy seats to get cozy, while Necrozma simply stood near the other. She suspected he didn’t know it was normal for someone to
sit down during conversations, considering he usually floated passively.
“What could possibly be worse than literally the world ending?” Remi opened.
Necrozma hummed but nodded. “I understand your fears of death and Armageddon,” he said. “I can sympathize. A world reaching the end of its lifespan is never a pretty affair. Well, sometimes it is, but in this case, it isn’t.”
“You’re not a good pep talker, you know that?”
“I will work on it.” Necrozma bobbed his strange Shiftry head. “Now, as for what’s worse. I have seen worlds fall to ruin in such a way that even the souls are unable to escape without intervention. A place where death is not a release but turmoil ever after. Aimless suffering for no point but the fault of a failed god.
“Put another way, I am granting Kilo its proper death and release, whereas this strange force is at risk of plunging it into a reality of unknown suffering, divorced from the gods that created it. It is a risk.”
“Unknown suffering… a risk? But you don’t know
what it would do. Like, did it choose to be a dark and unknown force? What if it just looks like that?” Remi said.
“What if the dark force of negativity just happens to look dark,” Necrozma repeated.
“Y-yeah…”
Necrozma stared. Remi nervously shifted in her seat, curling her toe claws into the leaves.
“You couldn’t have seen
so many worlds for this,” Remi murmured.
“I have,” Necrozma said. “That is my job as an Overseer. It is a title that… I do not give out lightly, but due to the state of the world, there is little risk or loss in speaking of it now.”
“Overseer… Like, just someone who watches over things?”
“In essence, though obviously, we also enforce and adjust when things get out of hand. Such as now.”
“So, you aren’t even from this world. You’re in… Mom called it Ultra Space?”
Necrozma chuckled. “Far beyond that,” he said. “But I’m familiar with Ultra Space, too.”
That didn’t make sense to her. Well, it
kind of did, but it seemed like too high a concept to be important to her. “So, basically, you… see other worlds that Star and Barky made, and how they went wrong before?”
“No, no.” Necrozma held up his leaves.
Just then, Remi realized he was floating a little. Had he always been? Man, she hated psionics sometimes. Seemed like an unconscious showoff.
“Is something bothering you?” Necrozma asked.
“Uh? Oh, no. So, wait, what worlds, then?”
“Worlds and realities from other gods. Other Creators, entire realms outside of the one you live in now. That’s where I usually reside—the Overworld.”
“Alright… and… I’m supposed to believe that?” Remi asked, but it was an empty threat. It added up nicely for Necrozma’s position and the way Barky and Star regarded him. In some ways, it answered a lot of questions about how Necrozma fit in this at all. He
didn’t. He was some… reality-foreigner. No! He was—
“You’re a divine consultant?”
The Shiftry-bodied Necrozma blinked. “…Yes, actually.”
“Who also becomes, like, an outlaw wrangler, or officer, if something really bad happens.”
“I… suppose that’s a way to put it, yes.”
“So, you’re kinda like when Dad used to—” She tried to hide her pause, remembering Dad at all, but she pressed on. “Like how he used to, you know, fly around and help little things around towns. Except instead of little things like finding Mom kidnapped by bandits and stuff, it’s… gods having trouble with their worlds.”
“That is the gist of my work,” Necrozma confirmed. “A divine… world… rescuer.”
“Then…” Remi closed her eyes. “Why are you destroying this world? What’s the big secret?”
“If I can destroy it,” Necrozma said, “I can remove the dark force entirely. It permeates the world—if even a single other soul exists inside, I can’t remove it. Or, rather… the reverse is true. For me to remove this dark entity, I would have to remove everything attached to it… and it was created as part of this world. One of two entities.”
“Two?” Remi asked.
“The second exists within the Tree of Life,” Necrozma said. “They are not very talkative, but compared to this entity of darkness, they seem more… benevolent.”
“Oh. Then… that’s probably the one that only knows all the good stuff about the world. Maybe they’re counterparts?”
“A reasonable guess, and when it comes to entities present as part of the world’s fabric, it’s also a likely one. But we don’t know for sure, and unfortunately, they do not seem to be very helpful against the negative half.”
More information that she didn’t know what to do with. Still… that other half, why wasn’t that one helping? She could ask later. Tree of Life… Wasn’t that the place Pokémon tended to disappear if they ventured too close?
“I apologize if this is all too much information,” Necrozma said.
“You sorta threw a lot at me… Why didn’t you tell the others about this?”
“I did. This is typically for divine ears only. However, the circumstances have changed, and due to your position with… my more direct subordinate, and the state of the world, I felt it would have been wise to inform you next. You may also help us if you wish.”
A small part of Remi wondered if this bombardment of information was meant to calm her down. She was overwhelmed and a little confused, but she didn’t feel as mad at Necrozma anymore. But as the silence settled in, she remembered…
“You still need to fix Dad.”
“I will,” Necrozma said.
“How?”
“His state of mind can be reversed. It is a psychic matter, and I am, of course, one such Pokémon. Perhaps the strongest and most skilled of the dimension.” Necrozma nodded.
“Then why’d you pick a Shiftry? They’re Dark, aren’t they?”
“Well, that… wasn’t part of my considerations, but you
do know this is a fake body, right?”
“What, you’re just a bunch of light inside of that thing?”
The Shiftry’s chest cracked and split open, revealing a blinding fissure of light.
“Gah! Okay, okay, I believe you!” Remi couldn’t see a thing. Even when he withdrew himself, her night vision was shot.
Remi squeezed her fists, thinking. “But you already tricked Dad with the Mind Trio. How am I supposed to trust you, huh?”
“I never held any ill will toward you, and you do not have darkness corrupting your spirit. But if you need a means to trust me…” Necrozma hummed, tapping his foot on the ground. The strange, gourd-like belly of his Shiftry body glowed dimly in the night. “…Hm. I shall give you a piece of my power for… safekeeping.”
“Safekeeping?” Remi squinted. “Safekeeping how?”
Necrozma put his leafy hands together. Light coalesced like dewdrops, becoming a great big ball that forced Remi, once again, to close her eyes as she muttered a curse about the light under her breath.
When she opened them again, Necrozma held a small diamond in his leaves with a small, black symbol in the middle.
“What’s that?”
“This is known as a Z-Crystal in some worlds, but here, people call them light crystals. It is a piece of my true form… and is infused with my divine power. It’s far more than a typical Z-Crystal of other worlds.”
Remi reached out and poked it. The light crystal burst into pale green motes that drifted to Remi. “Ah! What’s happening—”
“Well, I was
going to explain,” Necrozma said as she tried to bat the light off her to no effect. “But I suppose simply accepting the power will do. Hm. Interesting that you didn’t drop dead.”
“
What?!”
“Temporarily!” Necrozma amended. “I suppose an… only-mostly-dead state. But that didn’t happen, hm. Perhaps it is because you are so strongly tied to light already…”
“I’m gonna pretend I understand,” Remi grumbled, dusting off her scales again. She felt warm. But it was in a weird way like she had a blanket over her, and she didn’t want that. Not when it reminded her of Dad.
But… she also felt something else. This divine power… was very strong indeed. She glanced at her home and suddenly the grass of the house tidied itself up, shrinking in some parts and flourishing in others.
“Ah!” Remi gasped again. “I… I didn’t even put effort into that. I just thought and it happened…”
“I felt that Grass would suit you well,” Necrozma said. “It’s your natural element.”
“Right… And you’re just… giving this to me.”
Necrozma nodded. “As I said, I need your help. And I have crossed you once. The onus was on me to make attempts to repair that bridge.”
And… to his credit, he backed up his words with action.
Remi heaved a sigh. “Okay,” she said. “But I want Dad back as soon as this is over, and this world
is going to survive. Okay?”
“If you can find a way to rid this world of that corrosive force without destroying it,” Necrozma said, “I will do everything in my power to achieve that goal. And if you fail… you will be with your father anyway. I promise you that, under my care as an Overseer.”
Ominous way of phrasing it. But she could press on it later when she understood more of this Overseer business.
So, on that quiet night, she held out a hand just as a gentle breeze let the leaves dance in the dark.
“It’s a deal.”
Necrozma looked confused, but then understood and let Remi grasp the leaves of his right hand.
Remi squeezed the leaves tight; Necrozma’s eyes widened with surprise as she pulled him close, clamping her claws onto them.
“But if you try the same trick on me, I’ll side with that force the same way Dad did. Got it?”
“Ng… yes.” Necrozma shook his arm. “I understand.”
Remi grinned and let go. “Good!”
Necrozma nearly fell back had it not been for a helpful vine that spontaneously rose from the ground behind him.
“Now,” she said, “let’s talk strategy.”
<><><>
Destiny Tower’s fiftieth floor was in a controlled frenzy of murmurs between the dead and living alike. On the fiftieth floor, there was a border that was invisible to most, but Remi had grown just keen enough to sense the change. Just below was the world of the living; just above, spirits manifested freely from the heavens.
Though, in this case, they were powerful warriors that had been resummoned by Necrozma’s light, disturbed from their slumber within the light dragon. All spirits went to Necrozma when their time in the living world was over, where they slept until the end of the world.
Only recently did Remi understand why… It was simply because Necrozma had planned to bring them all to the Overworld for whatever he did with them after. Presumably, the proper afterlife? She certainly hoped so, if this world was just… some temporary place.
But now, to assure that they would all be able to return to Necrozma, he had to release some old warriors to fight among the living again.
Remi got to know a few of them, but the one she got along with the most was a Serperior who seemed to have a mastery over leadership. She was a great leader some five hundred years ago and led a village to great prosperity in a forest to the north, defending against bandits and other encroaching forces before taking them over herself.
That kind of talent… would be a welcome tactician to replace Dad, in some ways. Remi wondered if she was the one responsible for the plan to take down Dad in the first place…
No, no. She was getting distracted again. She was an ally now and Necrozma promised that he’d make things right if they could stop the corruption of the world.
Logically, too. She’d asked Star and Barky and they confirmed as much. And, well, unless
all three gods lied to her, it had to be true—and if they
did lie… it was a lost cause anyway, right?
There was no point in worrying, then!
The ground rumbled, nearly toppling Remi over.
Okay, there was
one thing to worry about.
“Another tremor?” Remi called. “What’s going on?!”
“Status report over in the war room!” called a Corviknight. “Hurry!”
“Thanks, Xypher!”
She leaped into the ceiling, phasing through the stone to appear one floor up. Then, she crouched down and did the same again, puffing by the fifth time—and startling a few Pokémon on the way.
“Hey!” Remi called as she climbed her seventh floor, pushing herself up. “I’m here!”
“We have stairs,” Necrozma hummed, taking on his radiant, true form this time.
“Meh, like you use them,” Remi countered.
“What?” Necrozma’s light flickered. “Never mind. We have some news and we need to act fast. I’ve already sent a squadron to fend things off, but the corruption’s forces have suddenly mobilized, and rapidly. I suspect in the brief power vacuum left behind, someone took over leadership and is now going for an aggressive strike.
“In some ways, this is good. This means they are likely making themselves vulnerable to a counterattack if they’re coordinating themselves so suddenly. The bad news is a reckless assault will mean casualties on our side, too. I fear for the fates of those who have already been sent out, but I will salvage their souls when this is over. Of that, I assure you.”
“Hey!” Star called breathlessly, blipping into the room. Barky, in his boring way, floated from the upper stairway and entered the room next. “So, while I was scouting around, I heard that they’re calling him the Wraith King. How about that, huh?”
“The force?” Necrozma asked.
“Maybe? Anyway, if we need a name—”
“Unimportant, but useful. As for dealing with this ‘Wraith King,’ I believe it is time that we sent our full assault at once toward their main base while sending a weaker force to intercept their main one. A weaker force dedicated to evasion.”
“Guess that’s me,” Star said, raising a paw. “I’m plenty evasive.”
“Then I shall lead the main striking force,” Barky agreed. “And what will you do?”
“I,” Necrozma said, “am going to be dual-backup. With my Ultra Wormholes, I have already created a firm network between the various places of the world that are key to this place, and I can also Teleport freely. Of the three of us, I am the most mobile.”
“Agreed. This seems simple, then. Our troops are already well-categorized for evasion and striking. You should leave the defending specialists here.” Barky scanned the room, eyes finally locking onto Remi, who shrank back.
“Um, hi.”
“Hello.” Barky looked at Necrozma. “Will she be part of the evasive group?”
“Yes. Remi, are you fine with this?”
“Totally. I want to see who’s trying to lead the charge now. Where are they going?”
“The Tree of Life.”
“Oh.” Remi blinked. “That’s uh… Isn’t the Tree dangerous?”
“Somewhat. But just don’t touch the sap and you should be okay,” Necrozma replied. “…Particularly you, Remi. Extended contact may cause your form to mutate and your emotional state to… spike.”
“Wait, that sounds awesome! Does it hurt?”
“Do
not, Remi,” Necrozma warned.
Remi pouted but didn’t protest.
“Now then,” Necrozma said, “there’s something else I wanted to discuss, and do spread this to the Legends who have not yet gone to combat the Wraith King so they may see me. I’ve tried to contact those who I could, but some haven’t gotten back to me. Worrying. But I need half of each of your souls.”
Remi nodded along, listening like she understood everything, until Necrozma’s final sentence registered. “Wait—say that last part again?”
“The Wraith King seems to operate by corroding and corrupting the hearts of those who interact with it. Or, put in less symbolic terms, it infiltrates the aura, encapsulates the spirit, and attempts to make the victim assume the King’s thoughts are their own. This corruption can be complete and absolute… unless we take a piece of the spirit to free the imprisoned half. Therefore… as insurance, I would like your spirits. Half of them.”
“Splitting a soul in this way, so casually…” Barky harrumphed in disapproval. “Perhaps I would tolerate it of Hecto due to the nature of his being, but to do it to spirits not capable of such splitting…”
“Won’t that severely weaken us?” Mom asked, having been quiet up until then. As usual, she only spoke up for the most practical questions. As a Lunala, she had a much more commanding presence about it, too…
“It will weaken you,” Necrozma said. “However, this is a calculated risk. He cannot capture any of your absolute powers this way. Even I will be doing this with my mortal vessel.”
“I see…” Remi sighed. “Well, I guess if that’s how it’s gonna be… Like, how much will it weaken us?”
“Not as exactly as half, thankfully,” Necrozma explained. “The drop in strength, while substantial, does not become debilitating until less than a third of you remains or so, from my experience.”
“A third, huh…” Remi squinted. “Hey, wait a second. Then why not just take a third of us, or something?”
“Er… Why?” Necrozma asked.
“Well then two-thirds of us can go into battle and have better odds of not dying!”
“Well, yes, but then you’d have only a third of you here…” Necrozma folded his wings over each other in front of him. “But I suppose in some ways, it’s another angle at weighing our odds…”
“And with half and half, that’s more power that won’t be fighting!”
A shadow under the table rumbled with laughter. Two red eyes stared at Remi. “You really are Owen’s daughter.”
Mom looked away, frowning.
Remi smiled broadly. “See, even Giratina thinks I’m right!”
“I… suppose so, yes,” Necrozma said, sighing.
Remi knew that meant a lot to Necrozma. Giratina was one of the few that Necrozma had chosen as a Radiant disciple, just like Mom and Dad. And Necrozma wouldn’t want to lose another one.
“Very well,” Necrozma said. “Everyone, please gather up and get the others that we can find. I’ll take a third of your soul, Star will craft bodies for them, and Arceus will handle the proper bonding.”
“Hmm…” That Serperior from before hummed.
“Yes, Trina?” asked Necrozma.
“Will this be safe?”
“Not entirely, but it is a mild risk with only mild side effects overall. Nothing permanent,” Necrozma explained.
“No,” Trina clarified. “Will this be safe in the short term for those who can only persist in the upper half of Destiny Tower? What if we must also descend or flee?”
“Ah. Hmm.” Necrozma’s light dimmed, as did his shattered-glass eyes. The equivalent of his eyes closing, if Remi recalled right. “I can imbue you with my divine light, even if it’s only temporary. The energy should be enough to let you go beyond the spirit realm and into the physical realm.”
“Yeah, I totally understand that,” Remi said. “Simple version, please?”
“Power makes you not die,” Necrozma said, his body fizzling.
“But they’re already dead,” Remi pointed out.
Mom hid a smirk behind her wing, though Remi saw it at her angle. “She has you beat there, Necrozma.”
“…Please gather everyone. I’ll give what I can out. And get the human, too.”
“Which human?” Lunala asked.
Remi had no idea what they were talking about.
“The
outer human,” Necrozma said with a meaningful flicker of his eyes.
“I see.” Lunala nodded. “Of course.” She already drifted down the hall to get someone.
Whatever. More divine secret plans. She had her mission. Remi was the first in line, eager to see what this whole soul-splitting would be like. “Hey, so,” she said, “how much does having your spirit cut by a third hurt?”
“Oh, immensely,” Necrozma said, raising a wing.
“Wait, what do you—”
He wasn’t kidding.
<><><>
Remi lounged atop Giratina’s back for most of the trip, agonizing dramatically over how much everything hurt and how lethargic she felt.
“I’m dying,” Remi announced. “Necrozma killed a third of me. Do you know what that usually does to someone? That’s like losing both your legs and your tail, and then, like…”
“Remi, it’s not the same,” Mom chided, flying after Giratina at a leisurely pace.
“You’re one to talk!” Remi said, pointing an accusatory claw at her. “You didn’t even get your soul carved!”
“Necrozma and I are beings native to light. Or, my body was already converted as such. The darkness can’t corrupt and claim us in the same way it can for you and your semi-Radiant spirit.” Her eyes narrowed condescendingly. “Granted, if you actually became a Cosmog and evolved properly, that would have been a different story.”
Remi snorted. “Yeah, well… Necrozma has to earn it if he wants me under him. Not after all his mistakes.”
It was a topic Remi wouldn’t budge on, even if Mom didn’t agree with how Dad did things. There was more to it. She knew it.
“Hm. Well, regardless… I wanted to take a little detour before heading to the battleground proper. Giratina, go on ahead. I need to go on a special assignment from Necrozma.”
“Of course. Be careful,” Giratina said, slithering further through the air.
“Hey, wait!” Remi said. “Can I go with you, Mom?”
“No.”
“Where are you going?”
Mom paused, glancing at Giratina, and then sighed. “Fine. You shouldn’t be in the heat of battle anyway in your state.” She drifted closer and a dark tendril from Giratina helped roll Remi over to Mom. It was a little weaker than usual; Giratina’s bulkier form couldn’t form tendrils as easily on this side of the world, or something. Remi didn’t pay much attention to the specifics.
“Hold on carefully, Remi,” Mom said.
Mom drifted to the southeast, still speeding through the skies. In the brief transition, the rushing air past their barriers for flight deafened her.
“Wow, it’s cold,” Remi whispered.
“Chilly day,” Mom agreed. Her crescent wings beat a few times and she went back to flying at full speed.
Remi took the time to appreciate the afternoon sun under their flight barrier. It was surreal to think that just past the horizon they were now flying away from, a war was being fought. If she focused, maybe she could feel the ripples of energy as the superpowers clashed.
“How many places do you think they’re fighting?” Remi asked. “Is it mostly in the southern region, or…”
“There’s no telling,” Lunala replied. “Necrozma told us to take this route. The sheer forces involved make travel through my wormholes, or even Hoopa’s powers, unreliable. Not that we can rely on Hoopa to behave anyway…”
Remi scooched up to get in a more comfortable position, her arms aching, and asked, “Where
are we going, anyway?”
“…Necrozma requested I track down Azelf. He can feel his power due to being a Radiant soul, and it will likely lead us to where they’d taken… your father.”
All at once, it was like the cold had returned. Her leaves may as well have shriveled up.
“Oh.”
“I can bring you back to Giratina if you want,” Mom said gently.
“No. I’ll go,” Remi replied quickly. “He’s… is he okay?”
“I’m going to find out.”
Remi had no idea how Mom always kept such a cool head. This was horrifying. She thought Dad had been… erased, or something, mentally. But what if he was okay? Or…
“It’ll be fine,” Remi said, though it was mostly to herself.
They flew the rest of the way in silence as Remi ran through all the scenarios in her mind, over and over again…
In some ways, she wondered if the anticipation was worse than the truth.
<><><>
They landed just before a sandy shoreline where the dirt met the sand. Grass somehow managed to grow regardless in this sandy soil, but Remi had no idea why Mom had landed here. It seemed like it was empty.
“Um… so what’s this for?” Remi asked. “I don’t see Dad.”
“Give it a moment,” Mom replied, folding her wings in front of her like a cloak. She looked like an arrow embedded in the ground while she waited.
It occurred to Remi that she’d never seen Mom sleeping upside-down before. Did she, like the other bat Pokémon?
“Hey, Mom?” Remi asked.
“Mm?”
“Do you sleep upside-down?”
“I… What?”
“Upside-down. Do you sleep like that? Like other bats.”
“I don’t have feet, Remi.”
“You could, like, I dunno, jam your… tail crescent thing into the ceiling! Or make a hook, totally! Besides, Zubat don’t have feet and they hang off the ceiling!”
“That’s because—” Mom paused. “…How
do they do that?”
“Exactly! So, you should, too.”
“Remi, that’s not—”
Something metallic clanged under the sand and they both stopped.
“Ah,” Mom said. “They’re here.”
“Huh?”
The sand pushed outward and upward. An underground stairway revealed itself beneath part of an artificially rising ramp large enough to fit even the largest Pokémon of the pantheon. Remi stepped back on reflex due to how much just the opening towered over her.
And then Palkia stuck his head out from below. “Hello!” he greeted.
“What—Palkia!” Remi squinted. “Why are you here?”
“This is my secret laboratory!” Palkia said cheerfully.
“I thought your secret lab was in the northeast,” Mom hummed.
“Ah, that one exploded. Anyway! What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to see the Trio of Mind as well as anyone else that may be here. I suspect Jirachi, for one…”
“And why are they here?” Remi interjected. “They were the ones who… got Dad.” And she, admittedly, wasn’t looking forward to talking to
them yet. She wasn’t emotionally ready for that. But if she had to… she’d put on a smile.
As always.
“They apparently had regrets,” Lunala replied cryptically. “And they wanted to ‘fix’ their mistake. Unfortunately, it’s harder to heal than it is to harm.”
“Ah.” Palkia finally nodded. “Well, in terms of seeing them, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to do something quite like that.”
Mom was undeterred. “Necrozma says that we should set aside any differences we have in favor of taking down the much more threatening foe that’s currently advancing to the Tree of Life.”
“Oh, how convenient! We were mobilizing for just the same thing.” Palkia nodded. “However, we considered the fact that it corrodes spirits, so we were just finishing a method to contain some of it for future use that cannot be corrupted in the same way.”
There was a pause.
Remi spoke up, “That’s—”
“A clever idea, but Necrozma can already do just that.”
“Oh, but so can we!” Palkia replied cheerfully. “See you on the battlefield!” He waved as the hatch began to close.
“Wait!” Remi shouted.
“Hmm?” Palkia clicked something, halting the hatch’s close.
“Can… I want to see Dad.”
To this, Palkia said nothing. His expression was inscrutable. Usually, he was cheerful or at least had a quip or two, nonsensical as it was. But this time his expression was like stone. The silence ate at her.
“It isn’t your father anymore, you know,” he said. “I’m afraid the damage to his mind was too much. I’ve had to repair him another way until he can heal.”
The cold chill was back. Part of Remi wanted to believe she’d misheard him. But Palkia was not one to lie or avoid the subject. He meant what he meant. Dad’s mind had been shattered. No… erased.
“It will take centuries,” Palkia said. “I’m afraid by then you’ll be a different person entirely if you’re alive at all. Him as your father figure is… no longer an option. And perhaps it never will be. You will accept this, yes?”
“How can… I accept that?” Remi asked. She didn’t think about the words, only said them from the front of her mind. But afterward, she had nothing more to say.
Even Mom was tense when she nodded. “I still recommend you give part of yourself to Necrozma. Drastic as his actions are, you can’t deny the utility behind being guarded by a being of Radiance.”
“True, true…” Palkia wobbled his head left and right. “Hmm. Well, in all honesty, we already handled the process with the Trio of Mind and some others, so it’s worked well enough as it stands. I was about to start the process with myself and Jirachi, but, ah, well. I’ll tell him.”
“How much of their spirits?” Mom asked.
“Half, of course.”
Remi sighed, disappointed. She thought Palkia was a genius.
“…Don’t be late. And be careful with distorting space. Something about the world’s fabric is fragile.”
“I’ve noticed,” Palkia said with a hint of weight behind his words. “I understand. Do be careful in the battle, Lunala. We will be there shortly.”
“Remi,” Mom said, “if you truly want to see your father… go with Palkia. I will be at the battle. Do not linger.”
It was an odd move. Remi wondered… if this was just Mom trying to keep her daughter from heading into battle. But she had the same sort of blessing! She could do it!
But… she also wanted to see Dad. Just for… closure, maybe. Or something.
“Okay,” she conceded.
Remi followed Palkia into the hatch and Mom flew away. Remi wondered, forebodingly, if she’d see her again.
No! That was a silly thought.
It was all going to be okay.
<><><>
She had no idea such an elaborate labyrinth could be made underground. She’d already made, like, five turns, and every single turn was after such a long stretch of featureless walls and metal doors.
“All this for an underground lab? Kinda overkill, don’t you think?” Remi asked, her words and steps echoing through the windowless halls.
“Ah, well, so many projects, so many things. And this is also where your father is regularly revived, as you recall. Well, the new location.”
“…Because the old one exploded.”
“Yes!”
“How?”
“Hmm, I can’t quite remember. I’m sure it was after I accidentally became a Dwebble, but before I created that powerful Jigglypuff…”
“Wait, you what?”
“Ah! Nothing to worry about.”
They approached a wall that had the number “1” on it.
“Ten,” Palkia said.
The number changed accordingly. Remi frowned. “What, uh, what’s that for?” she asked.
“We’re on the tenth floor now.”
“Huh?!”
She whirled around. It was subtle, but some of the doors were in different spots…
“That’s kinda trippy,” Remi murmured. “I didn’t even feel the Teleport…”
“It’s not a Teleport in the psychic sense. It’s a warping of space. Put my divine powers there some time ago. Why, even if I’m killed this should still function! Well, probably. I haven’t been able to test that.”
“Right… Is more of this place the same way?”
“Somewhat. We have some anti-escape warping technology as well, some tricks to make it bigger on the inside…” he shrugged.
“Why do you
need all this space?” Remi asked as they resumed their walk.
“Consider it future-proofing,” Palkia said. “Eventually I may need all of it. And, well, as the god of space, it’d be quite blasphemous if I didn’t make a lot for myself, hm?”
“Er, right…” Remi’s mind wandered as the similar sights of the labyrinth bored her. “…Where’s dad?” she said.
“He’s on this floor. Just a few more turns,” Palkia answered. “But I’d like to remind you, he won’t be as you recall. It’s going to be a long healing process for him, Remi. But we will do everything I can.”
Someone else was walking down the halls. The air was charged with conflicting energies like Remi was simultaneously being energized and then drained. She recognized this feeling. “Yveltal and Xerneas are here, too? But why’s it feel so strong…?”
One more turn gave her the answer. The two gods, one of life and one of death, walked side by side with fierce expressions. Remi pressed against the side of the wall to allow them past.
“He, uh, hey?” Remi greeted.
“…Hello, Remi,” Yveltal greeted, her usual, gentle tone missing. “Sorry, we’re in a bit of a hurry.”
“Be careful if you’re joining. Things are dire and not a place for mortals,” Xerneas added.
They didn’t so much as look at Palkia. “Ah, see Necrozma!” Palkia called. “He needed to give you a boon.”
They didn’t acknowledge him.
“…I’m sure they heard,” Palkia concluded.
“What’s up with them?” Remi murmured.
“Oh? Likely they do not approve of my blasphemous treatment of life and death. They were already iffy on the Reincarnation Machine, but I suspect what I did regarding my other research has put them in… a differing opinion, yes.” He nodded. “Either that or it was something Jirachi said. Hm. Well, regardless, let’s go down the hall.”
Just then, something caught Remi’s attention in the corner of her eye. She whirled around, on guard, but then saw Mesprit yelp and dash around the corner.
She rolled her eyes. “Mesprit!”
“Ah! Um, he-hello, Remi…”
“What’re you doing hiding from me? Is it because you betrayed my dad and erased his mind forever?”
“N-not forever! Promise! We’re… working on fixing him, just, you know, Dark War and all that, and, um—”
“Good!” Remi offered Mesprit a toothy grin. “I’d replace him if you didn’t fix your mistake.”
She kept her happy tone. But she was positive the master of emotion would sense the genuine fury she’d unleash otherwise. She wasn’t strong, but she was also the Wishkeeper’s daughter.
She’d find a way.
“R-right… okay…”
Palkia chuckled. “Remi, he’s right this way.”
That felt good. Just a little. But now, without giving Mesprit another glance, she followed Palkia down the hall again.
“Um, sorry,” Mesprit said meekly.
Remi didn’t respond.
One more turn. Finally, something different. It seemed to be a huge chamber with only a few devices in it, though there were signs of more to be constructed later. They were large, green cylinders with odd computerized devices in the middle, a thousand times more advanced than the stuff they had in town.
Jirachi was there, parrying Ember attacks with simple psychic shields. Remi sped up to go around one of the cylinders that was blocking her view of the attacker.
Her heart leaped and sank, somehow at the same time.
It was a Charmander, smiling, happy, young, and blasting fire at Jirachi in a playful spar. The little star Pokémon had a sad smile as he humored the small Charmander, and when that Charmander turned his back to flee, Remi saw the telltale mark of Necrozma on his back.
That… was what he’d been reduced to. Not only that, but he wasn’t even speaking. All he did was produce feral chitters and growls.
Palkia placed a hand on Remi’s shoulder. The Sceptile flinched but then took a long, slow breath. Held it. And then let it slowly out.
“So,” she said, “that’s him, huh?”
“Oh… er… yeah. It is,” Jirachi replied.
Dad perked up and scampered to the newcomer. He growled playfully.
Remi regretted coming here. She didn’t want this to be how she remembered Dad. But… she also knew it’d be even worse if she didn’t come. Right?
Dad always said knowledge was better than ignorance. So, this was better, too. It had to be.
“Hey,” Remi greeted. “My name’s Remi.”
Dad tilted his head, looking at her in wonder. He hissed affectionately and raised his arms. Did he want to be picked up?
She humored him automatically, reaching down. With deft movements, he leaped for her arm and scaled up to her shoulders, then jumped down and grabbed one of the seed pods on her back.
“Wh—hey! I need those!” Remi said, trying to reach back for him. Thankfully, they were still firmly attached, so he only dangled there, giggling.
“C-c’mon, Owen!” Jirachi floated to Remi and helped pick him off. “A-as you can see, Remi, he’s… We’re… helping. I didn’t want this, either. Palkia gave him a, er, a new brain? A whole new body. That should counteract the Trio’s erasure… but it’ll also take away… you know. Everything from before.”
Remi’s throat was tight, but she nodded. But that also meant Dad was gone. She was just playing with a kid right now. A hatchling, even.
“But,” Jirachi said quickly, “the spirit… remembers everything. Necrozma, Barky, and Star all told me the same thing. Deep down is the father you know, and… and the partner I knew. The spirit just… needs time to speak to this new brain. I think that’s how they said it. I don’t know how long that’ll be… it’s usually not possible… but, well, divine power will help. And we’ve got tons of that!”
“Not much to spare, though,” Palkia said. “Unfortunately, our priority right now is stopping whoever took over Owen’s place in the power vacuum. Perhaps it was the dark entity itself, which might have misled Owen all this time.”
“No,” Remi said quickly. “It wasn’t that. It couldn’t be. Dad’s way too perceptive to be misled that way, you know? It had to have been someone else who… took over when he was taken out suddenly. Maybe we’d know who to suspect
if Dad was around but…”
Jirachi winced. “Sorry, I… had no idea,” he said.
Remi sighed harshly but nodded. “I know. You cared about him. But… those three were his friends, too. His team, even! And then…”
“We can discuss that later,” Palkia said. “On a practical level, we have a battle to fight. And Lunala recommended we see Necrozma, Jirachi.”
“Uh?”
“Necrozma has a more… Radiant version of our soul splitter. It will help resist whatever dark powers come our way.”
“Oh! Well, we sorta already did it for Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, but…”
“Not a third, either, huh?” Remi said.
“You know, I was thinking about maybe just a third,” Jirachi said.
“I know, right?!” Remi said.
Dad trilled approvingly. He likely had no idea what they were saying.
“Well, anyway, er, sure. We’ll do that.”
“Don’t wait! I’m gonna go on ahead to the battle area. Hopefully. Tree is close to here, so I think I can just sprint the way there.”
“That’s quite a trip,” Palkia hummed. “You may be underestimating the time required on foot. And the battle may change stages from the Tree by the time you arrive.”
“I can Teleport you there,” Jirachi offered.
Remi held up her hands. “Oh, uh, Teleportation is kinda wonky right now, Necrozma said.”
“Oh. Well, if that’s the case… I know. Make a wish for super speed for a little while. That’s an easy wish!”
“You won’t need that power for the fight?”
“I’ll have my stamina back by the time I get to Necrozma,” Jirachi assured.
“Okay. Well… I wish that I could get to the Tree of Life as fast as possible!”
The left tag on Jirachi’s head lit up with runes and letterings as Remi spoke. His whole body glowed, and the great eye in the center of his body opened.
“And bigger seed pods!”
And a few extra runes were added before a beam shot toward Remi. She felt light as air, nimble enough to go across the whole world in less than an hour.
“Fascinating,” Palkia said. “They grew in diameter by two inches.”
“Aw yeah.” Remi pumped her fist in the air. Jirachi, after the great eye closed, stared at her with a disappointed frown.
“I don’t have a lot of spare power, you know,” he said.
“E-eheh, aw, c’mon, bigger pods isn’t that hard, is it?” Remi asked.
“…It’s not,” Jirachi relented. “I’m gonna see Necrozma now. Go before that speed wears off.”
“Oh! Right! Okay, see you!”
And thankfully, the wish also gave Remi better reflexes as she ran back down the hall in seconds.
She heard Dad happily chitter a goodbye.
That would be her fight. The way to get him back. All she had to do was save the world and Dad would be able to heal.
No biggie, right?
<><><>
This was a much larger biggie than she’d thought.
The Tree of Life was on fire. The flames were not the typical orange colors of a forest fire but a deep, billowing black, even before the smoke. Something great and purple was wrapped around the Tree and at first, she thought it was destroying it, but then she watched as it put out the flames and seemed to consume the corrupt energy entirely. She had no idea what it was supposed to be.
Her speed boost from Jirachi was already halfway worn off, but she was getting close to the fray. Mom was shooting at something in the forest and she seemed to have a good lock on it, but it was something in the sky that had Remi worried.
That outline… just behind the dark clouds, something was flying.
“Ah!”
She’d recognize that silhouette anywhere. That was Lugia—Emily!
She was sort of a distant aunt to Remi. Friends with Dad and one of those blessed by Necrozma’s Radiance due to her abundant kindness. If there was anyone who could use their strength to topple this darkness and negative aura, it’d be her.
All that optimism melted the moment the clouds parted to an Aeroblast tinged with shadows. Black whirlwinds split the darkness of the sky only to replace it with a maelstrom of cutting gales. Even where she was, at least a mile away, the rubble that the wind picked up left cuts along her scales. She dove behind a tree to avoid the rest.
When the wind settled, she dared to peek out again.
Emily’s beautiful scales had become a deep purple. When she spread her wings, little whips of darkness followed rather than gusts of natural wind.
Emily was corrupted. That same darkness had taken her. Now she was some kind of… Shadow-Lugia.
Then came Mom, still in her Lunala form, firing from even higher in the sky. A beam of spectral, lunar energy—purple and white and radiant—slammed into Emily from above, sending her into the trees below.
A cloud of dust occupied the space she’d landed… and another Shadow Aeroblast carved a hole through the dust in a shockwave. Stray whips of darkness slashed whole trees in two and Mom weaved out of the way.
She was close! And she had just enough speed that she could probably get to Lugia. She wasn’t strong, but she was evasive and she’d make for a good distraction.
Jirachi’s speed boost was fading rapidly, but she didn’t need its full power anymore. Lugia was in her sights only a few bounds away.
“Hey!” Remi shouted.
Emily didn’t even hesitate. She turned her head and blasted Remi; she leaped to the side and dodged it, but the stray whips cut up her left leg. She winced and stumbled behind a tree, hoping Emily didn’t have a second shot for her.
“Th-that one hurt,” Remi hissed. Her bloody wounds had tinges of darkness to them like she’d been contaminated somehow. What
was that?!
It was cold. Colder than a normal wound should’ve felt against the breeze. Her back glowed, absorbing some extra sunlight, and the winds closed… but she could still feel some of the pain.
Did this thing cut her aura, too? Or even deeper? She had to be careful.
Emily was prowling, sniffing the air. She had no idea if she had a good sense of smell, but she wasn’t even talking. This wasn’t Emily, was it? Just some puppet being controlled…
And the force that Dad dealt with didn’t puppet people like that. Or, at least, it didn’t do that to him. So, what was the point? Who was controlling her? If she could figure that out…
A massive beam of energy deafened Remi just as the ground rumbled under her claws. She knelt, using her arms to keep herself from going prone.
She knew that blast. It was Mom’s, just up close. And at full power, not her cute sparring blasts that a little Synthesis patched up.
“Remi!”
She faintly heard it. Mom’s voice.
“Get out of here! Go!”
If she had time to talk, she had time to fight back. Maybe it was okay. She’d done her job and she was outclassed. Wordlessly, she ran through the ruined forest, sparing only one glance behind her. Lugia was back on her feet, but her attention was completely locked on Mom in the sky. She had the advantage here. There was a golden light on the horizon.
Necrozma was coming. Oh, thank the skies, they finally had the upper—
Why was it cold?
Her instincts were faster than her conscious mind. She jumped to the left. Even then, she was too slow. A cold beam glued her arm to a tree trunk, freezing it completely. She tried to pull but yelped when the pain forced her to stop.
Two yellow eyes stared at her through the deep darkness of the forest. This wasn’t normal. It was a bright and beautiful afternoon! And yet…
Then came another beam of energy, this one a Dragon Pulse, that smashed through the tree—taking her arm with it.
She wailed as she fell, clutching at the frozen pieces of flesh that were left on her broken shoulder. She caught a glimpse of Kyurem lumbering through the forest, a similar darkness radiating from her body. Even her?! When did that happen?! What was happening in this war?
Had Dad… been holding this kind of darkness back the entire time?
The sky was alight again. Remi channeled another Synthesis. This blast from Kyurem… wasn’t the same dark blast that Emily had made. Already, Synthesis was helping her get that arm back. If she did that repeatedly before the day was up, the wound wouldn’t settle. She could get the arm back.
She could still fight in the meantime. Easy!
Remi collapsed and threw up from the pain, rolling until she was on her side against a tree. She stuck one of her arms into a brighter patch in the forest, absorbing that light to channel another Synthesis. Her arm came back just a little more. She didn’t want to look to know for sure how much, but she couldn’t feel her elbow moving yet. She probably didn’t have one.
More trees fell nearby. Mercifully, the one she was next to didn’t fall.
Lunala had blasted Emily deeper into the forest, just barely where Remi could see it. As Emily got to her feet, a javelin of light pierced her through the chest, pinning her to a tree. That only made the Lugia uproot the tree as she stood up again, roaring in defiance.
But Remi knew it was already too late for her. With confidence, she forced herself into a sitting position just in time to witness Necrozma personally stabbing Lugia with another javelin made from his wings, then pulling from her chest two things. The first seemed to be an orb of indigo light, the same color Remi associated with dragonfire. The other was a Vaporeon, curled up innocently.
“I must make it so you may never harm again,” Necrozma whispered.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this, Emily. But you were too close to this darkness to be allowed to be whole.”
Emily fired mindlessly; Necrozma deflected it with ease, and then the light was too much for Remi to see. Emily screamed, and then everything went quiet.
And then it got cold again.
“Move!” Remi cried.
Necrozma grunted and might have moved. The Ice Beam followed. Necrozma hissed, but he was still making noise. He dodged!
With her good arm, she clutched at the tree trunk and pulled, molding the bark until it became a protective dome. Yelling might have given her away.
And for a short while, it seemed like Kyurem was only searching for where Necrozma had gone. The ground shook from distant explosions of other Legends clashing with some other force, meaning even aside from Lugia and Kyurem, whoever was controlling the darkness now had even more forces at his disposal.
Even without Necrozma’s will, it seemed like the world was ending.
That cold, horrible realization crawled through Remi’s mind, and perhaps to anyone else, it would have been enough to curl up and cry and hope it was all over by the time she got up.
But not for her. Dad wanted to save the world. Mom did, too. She still had to do her part—and not just hide.
Something was walking toward the dome. It found her. But that didn’t matter.
She balled up her claws and conjured a wad of spectral energy, pasting it against the tree. She fell into it, reappearing behind the tree. Then, she dug underground and let the earth seal itself. Even with one arm, she could burrow with ease.
Every few seconds there was another tremor, another blast, as the whole world cried out in pain. Even if the war was won, Remi wondered if not having a child had been a blessing. They would not grow up in a prosperous world. It would be generations before they would recover from any of it.
Those dark thoughts were all that accompanied her as she dug through more soil. Finally, she surfaced with a gasp for air…
Only to see that Emily wasn’t done. They were clashing in the sky. Mom and Necrozma together were only barely fending her off; Emily’s body, meanwhile, looked like it was melting. She was halfway charged with an attack that was stronger than all the others, creating shockwaves just from its charge. Loose earth around Remi lifted into the sky.
And then she fired. Necrozma and Mom did the same. Emily’s strike missed—and it also missed the Tree of Life, carving a great gash through the ground instead. Remi didn’t know where. That direction reminded Remi of… where Dad was.
Emily missed. She had to have missed.
A coffin of ice surrounded Lunala moments later, but Necrozma had already gone ahead to strike Emily down.
“Mom!” Remi cried. She was too far to do
anything. Remi turned instead to the Tree, where that huge wyrm-like creature had spiraled around it protectively. Bright purple energy coursed below deep, dark chitin. As scary as it was, Remi could at least take solace that someone was protecting the Tree.
From this angle, Remi realized that there was a huge hole in the Tree, but it wasn’t an inward one. Something had crawled
out of it. Conveniently the same diameter as that monster wrapped around it.
That’s what was in the Tree? Remi said.
That… thing? Lives in it?
She slowed down to catch her breath. Her arm stung with intense, dull pain as the Synthesis worked its magic. Still couldn’t feel much, but the healing numbed most of the pain. This was probably the worst wound she’d had in a long time aside from the rockfall incident. And that was her fault anyway.
Just had to keep going. Keep pushing.
How many Legends had already fallen to this corruption? What would happen if any of them were killed? Ideally, they’d go to the third-souls that were left behind in Destiny Tower. Or Barky was already hiding it underground or something to keep the darkness from finding it. Being a gigantic tower in the world was an obvious target.
Necrozma roared in pain. Remi whirled around in time to see a glimmering star of ice plummeting to the ground, followed by Mom speeding ahead to strike something on the ground. Kyurem roared back, but this seemed to be a defeated shriek. Remi laughed. Yes! Kyurem down! And Emily was dispatched, too!
Then came another javelin, this time of a deep black and outlined with purple light. It pierced Mom through the front before she could even turn. The aim was scarily precise. Remi could only stare in paralyzed shock, taking in every detail, when Mom fell into the forest below.
“Mom?” Remi whispered.
Necrozma shot into the sky, the last of his icy prison melting off his scorching, bright body. She could feel his warmth from where she stood practically a quarter mile away.
He looked to where Mom had fallen and let out another cry, this one a shrieking mixture of mourning and fury.
Everything was getting dark and Remi worried she was losing sight from blood loss. But even when she focused, the light didn’t return, except for an orb of light collecting above Necrozma’s body.
She’d never seen that kind of attack before. The energy it was giving off overstimulated her leaves, forcing her to curl up to find shelter.
Too bad most of the trees in the area had already fallen.
And then, Necrozma fired this ball of light that took from the world the rest of its light, if only temporarily. It hurtled into the ground toward something that sent a beam of darkness directly at it. At first, it was small and feeble, unable to fend off the light, but then its diameter doubled, then doubled again, and suddenly it was getting pushed back.
Necrozma was losing?
Remi thought about her options. Run? Probably safer? Fight? Distract? She’d die.
But…
She had none of Jirachi’s speed left, but she wished to the skies anyway to grant her strength. A quarter mile was only a short sprint away.
She huffed and puffed with every leap, but she could already see the source of the shadowy blast. Some kind of Pokémon much smaller than Necrozma… looking like they were under a lot of strain. The Pokémon… a Hydreigon? He floated in the middle of a small crater formed by the sheer force he was pumping out with a sustained beam of darkness. Cracks ran along his scales that seeped with dark energy.
Yep, that seemed pretty evil. Why did he seem familiar?
She didn’t have time to think. Instead, she recalled the last blessing Jirachi had given her.
“Hey, ugly!” Remi called, reaching back with her one good arm to pluck off an oversized seed pod. She infused it with some light energy, feeble as it was. “Catch!”
Remi hurled it at Hydreigon, who didn’t pay her any mind.
And then it exploded in a flashbang of power. The blast was disrupted for only a second, and that was all Necrozma needed to completely overpower Hydreigon. There was alarm, fury, and then a horrible glare aimed at Remi.
She only smiled. Mission accomplished.
Everything went white; her body burned in the intense energy of Necrozma’s final attack. She was ready to accept that, too exhausted to do more. She had a hint of regret, wondering if she could have run afterward, had she any energy left. Maybe she could try just a little more.
She could fight a little longer, right?
Something grabbed her good arm.
“H-huh?”
She saw a dark tendril with several eyes staring at her. She tried to scream and it pulled her before she could, dragging her away, away, away from the blast zone.
By the time it impacted the earth, she was far from the core of the blast, but the shockwave shook her body like a ragdoll despite whatever was pulling her. Several bones broke against the ground and the tendril let her go, instead catching her in some dark cushion made of a substance she couldn’t recognize. Soft. Cold. And… Those were more eyes.
“Gross,” she wheezed, the last of her strength channeled into disgust.
She couldn’t hear well. Sight, though, was returning with the sky’s light.
Above her was the Tree of Life. Crawling around it was a corrupted entity, that reddish-purple wyrm, which had five triangular heads. It was a lot darker now. Eyes covered parts of its body, each one a different shape and size. Several stared at her and Remi heard whispers. By some instinct, she knew it was coming from the eyes. They sounded concerned, asking if she was okay.
“Not really,” Remi answered weakly.
Shadowy creatures surrounded her. The smallest hint of healing energy radiated off them, soothing her wounds.
“Aw… ugly-cute,” she complimented.
This pleased the blobs, who jiggled happily.
“Who… are you?” Remi asked.
The blobs looked at one another, then at the great entity above them.
When it spoke, it didn’t talk with words. It was like it resonated with her very aura; she
knew what it was saying, but had no idea how.
I woke up here after traveling through space… I knew nothing, and then I heard everything for a long time. Now… I’m everyone.
“Oh, okay,” Remi said, convinced this was a dream.
Something evil twisted how I looked… but I resisted it. The people that I learned from would not want to fall under it, so I didn’t. They always fight to survive.
“So, you… look evil, but aren’t?” Remi said.
I suppose so. Please, rest. We will all help you survive. You saved this world. I heard it in your spirit. You have a strong will.
“Aw, you’re gonna make me blush,” Remi said. “Some Pokémon do that, you know… Dad didn’t, for some reason…”
Did the creature laugh? Remi didn’t hear it. In a way, it looked… sad, now.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I’m sorry about your father.
“Oh…” Oh, he literally meant everyone. That meant… “Yeah…”
I wish I could help. But the gods are… above me. I cannot.
“Someone like you, protecting this Tree?” Remi said, tilting her head. “You should be on the top if you want my opinion …”
Now, Remi knew how it laughed. A gentle yet all-encompassing rumble that put her at ease instantly. She closed her eyes, her heart rate steadying.
I appreciate it, he said.
Remi was about to speak again when a blast of darkness erupted from the crater, catching a weakly flying Necrozma’s attention. Necrozma spun around and parried a full-body tackle from a frenzied Hydreigon, bleeding tar-colored blood.
“How—” Remi whimpered.
The dark creatures around Remi closed in protectively, dragging her near the Tree.
Remi wanted to fight. She
had to fight. But… her body didn’t respond. She simply couldn’t, even as Necrozma and that Hydreigon wrestled in the skies, stray blasts carving the earth. A few struck the Tree, making all the cute blobs tremble in pain.
“Can’t you do… something?” Remi begged. “Help Necrozma!”
Help…
The Hydreigon was winning. Where Necrozma had strength, Hydreigon had fury. Barky and Star weren’t around. Were they occupied in another part of the fight? How many were still attacking? How much of the world was in ruins?
I’ll do what I can. But I can only do this… once before it gets dangerous. Will you… lend me a piece of your spirit as a conduit?
“Yes,” Remi said, holding her hand out like that was part of the gesture.
Instead, the entity brought one of its heads down and opened it, revealing a sharp, pink ‘tongue’ needle.
Remi suddenly regretted her answer. “What’s that going to—”
It fired a beam of red energy into her chest. She screamed, but it was in surprise. There was no pain. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to see the beam drilling into her chest, making her feel tingly and hollow. She felt like she was bloodletting, life coldly leaving her body. For a moment, she thought she was seeing double—part of her rising into the sky, and another part of her still stuck on the ground.
And then it stopped, with her still on the ground, too exhausted to do anything else.
<><><>
And then it stopped, with her rising into the sky, leaving her body behind.
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t do
anything but watch and listen. In a panic, she tried to speak but had no mouth.
What’s happening? She cried.
I will return you soon, the voice said.
Lend me your power. I need someone alive to channel this… and your inherited light. It will pierce through that Hydreigon’s corrupted spirit and seal his powers for good.
Okay. Okay, just… just walk me through that, okay?
But like magic, the instincts were funneled into her. Every subtle pulse of energy she had to make, the rhythm of the dark protector’s energy waves, all of it was perfectly understandable to her. She followed it like a dance.
She focused on Hydreigon, still battling Necrozma in the air. They were moving so fast… would they even have a chance to stop him?
Have faith. Keep your will, and do not doubt. I need you for this.
Okay. Okay, I’ll do that. Sorry, just… kind of new to me here… being a… spirit? Am I a spirit right now?
Mostly. Get ready…
The dance picked up its rhythm. It felt like holding her breath.
Necrozma and Hydreigon were in a deadlock in the sky.
Remi didn’t need the order. She stopped the dance and surged forward, catapulting a single red beam of energy that perfectly struck Hydreigon in the side. It stuck there like a harpoon and the dark protector pulled back.
Hydreigon stiffened, mouths wide with surprise. Necrozma glanced at them for only a fleeting instant before seizing the opportunity. He wrapped his wings around Hydreigon and illuminated himself like a star, spiraling far, far away from the Tree of Life. Over the forest, over the horizon, at speeds incomprehensible to Remi, and then…
An explosion more intense than any before rocked the earth. The shockwave that followed spattered the dark protector against the tree, leaving it seemingly unconscious. With it, Remi’s consciousness faded next, tied to its energy.
Necrozma… did he do it? That explosion left behind a column of light and darkness in a spiral that made holes through the clouds. It must have been halfway across the world for all she knew, but it was tall. Taller than Destiny Tower. The crater it must have left behind could have taken out mountain ranges…
Another scar on Quartz. A reminder of this fight…
She was fading. As everything went dark, her last hope was that she’d wake up to a world repaired…
<><><>
This was the worst day of Remi’s life. First, she saw her father as a feral Charmander, then she lost her arm, and she was pretty sure her improved seed pods were back to normal, too.
The dark protector of the Tree extracted
something from her, leaving her barely conscious in the dirt. Then came a shockwave that knocked her completely out for… it must have been an hour, the way the sun’s position had moved.
It was colder, too. That must have been what woke her up. She groaned and rolled until she was on her front. Everything ached. Her seed pods felt numb from being slept on so harshly. And she was
pretty sure her tail was bent in a few odd angles on some of the harder pine needles.
It was still cold. But not in an icy or cool night kind of way. Something else was—
She gasped and struggled to her feet. She only managed it by resting a hand on her knee at the same time.
That shadowy force, or maybe a remnant, was still around.
“Hello?” Remi called. “Where—”
First, the blade went through her back and out her chest.
Then came the cold, searing pain.
She couldn’t even scream.
Strange, black creatures were feebly latching onto the Hydreigon that had pierced her back. He shook them off and flew with Remi still stuck to his blade. It was getting cold. Something was pulling her inward.
He survived. Necrozma didn’t kill him. But how? What did this
thing do to survive? Was this dark power so much stronger in someone evil, compared to Dad? Or did he use a shield?
He was dripping with dark blood and it almost looked like fire had erupted from his body in places—or was still erupting. Was this horrible creature… still alive? Was it even a Pokémon anymore? She sensed more than just that dark power in him. It was faded, but there was Radiance, too. Mom’s…
Terror and anguish overwhelmed any physical pain. That was how he survived. He used Mom’s power as a shield. At least Necrozma nearly finished things.
It was up to her now. She had no choice but to fight back.
She channeled the last of her power into her fist. A single Radiant Energy Ball. If she could just get away…
Swinging her fist back, she opened her palm but met with strange resistance.
His head crunched onto her hand, tearing it clean off. And she still couldn’t scream. His head curled over her shoulder, bloody teeth exposed from a horrible, victorious, exhausted, evil grin. The last thing she’d see as the world closed around her into a tiny tunnel.
He lunged at her face, and that was all.
<><><>
Warm.
Windy.
Itchy.
Wow, that was itchy.
Remi groaned and rolled onto her front, rubbing her eyes. She scratched at her shoulder, then her chest, feeling a horrible itch that didn’t go away. Had she gotten a rash on her scales somehow? Oh, skies, hopefully, it wasn’t some kind of leaf rot.
“Hm?”
Someone was in the other room—and Remi realized she was in a bed, somewhere in an underground cave. She saw the exit just down a tunnel of dirt or clay. How did she…
A Hydreigon drifted into the room, covered in bandages and dripping with dark blood. Terror gripped Remi, but then confusion. Why was she scared?
“Are you okay?” Hydreigon asked sweetly.
“…I was gonna ask you the same thing,” Remi said. “You’re a mess! What happened to you?”
“Oh, no.” Hydreigon frowned with all three heads. “You must have been hurt so badly. I found you in front of the Tree of Life.”
“Oh.” Remi tilted her head. “Sorry, I… don’t remember. But… you seem… familiar.”
Hydreigon nodded. “Your father, Owen,” he said. “I was his second in command. When he was defeated, I took up the mantle and sealed the darkness that had plagued the world. I’m… lying low, now, so the remnants don’t track me down.
“And, unfortunately… an unknown number of Legendary Pokémon were lost to the war, completely. It’s as if the world itself forgot them… I only know because my wounds are teeming with the remnants of their corrupted, divine power.
“You see, during a great clash, I… suffered horrible injuries. It may take several lifetimes to recover from it, and obviously, I don’t have that kind of time. But…” He smiled warmly. “I’m satisfied anyway.”
This Hydreigon… knew Dad? And… and… and who was Mom? Why couldn’t she…
“Mom must have been a Legend, then,” she said. “I can’t… remember her…”
“I’m so sorry, Remi,” Hydreigon said.
“I…” Remi’s claws shook. She sat on her leafy bed, staring at her thighs. She was covered in little blemishes that suggested so many battle wounds. How badly had she fought? “Why am I crying… What’s…”
Hydreigon wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him, instantly comforted by his touch. She let it out in silent, weeping tremors, and he gently patted her back.
“It’s okay,” Hydreigon said. “I’ll be there for you, alright? Always.”
Always… Something about that comforted her. Like she wanted to always be with him… Yes, she did. That felt ‘right.’
“Thank you,” she said. Even if she couldn’t remember Mom, this Hydreigon was a small comfort. She could feel his kindness.
“My name is Alexander,” he said, staring into her eyes. His were deep and dark, but within that battle-hardened stare, she saw someone that she could trust unconditionally. It was like love at first sight.
“Hi,” Remi replied, scaly brow furrowing. For a fleeting moment, something seemed… off. But when Alexander gently touched her shoulder again, her doubts were erased. No, this was right.
He would protect her.
“Will you be okay?” Alexander asked, still holding her.
Remi’s doubts melted like snow. She smiled, lost in his eyes. “Yeah,” she finally replied. “I’ll be fine… as long as I’m with you.”
<><><>
No eyes to cry with, no body to tremble with, and yet Remi could only watch as her body was carried away. The Tree of Life was crumbling, the corruption wilting its leaves and depleting what little power it had left. If this kept up, what would it mean for the world?
What now? Remi asked.
I… I can’t just be a ball of light forever, can I? What’s he going to do to… other me? Where did… what happened…
I’m sorry. I don’t know. I tried to fend him off but I’m out of power…
I…
He was already gone. Landed somewhere in a faraway part of the forest, well beyond the reach the dark protector could hope to extend toward. There was no telling what happened then. If he was dying, or even stronger, or…
But even worse, Remi felt… faint. Like she was already fading away.
I can’t stay like this. I’m… something’s…
You’re being absorbed into the Tree. You’ll… fall asleep. Like spirits Necrozma harvests. Until the world’s end, you will sleep. It… it will be like nothing to you, a good, long rest, I promise. But…
But I can’t! Not when I’m still alive! What then?!
And besides that, the Tree was starting to fall apart. If she fell asleep while inside it, as it crumbled… what then? Were spirits even meant to be within this thing, or was that just what this wyrm sustained?
The Tree is… deteriorating. The corruption is too deep. I’m… sorry.
It occurred to Remi that the wyrm wasn’t speaking to her.
I will save you.
Uh?
Everything rumbled. The Tree was collapsing into itself, melting, blackening… but the spirits inside didn’t appear at all disturbed. The spirits… those strange dark blobs that were part of the wyrm, must have understood what it was saying.
Low, low, low. The leaves withdrew into the branches, and the blackened bark became part of the wyrm, dissolving. The tree’s base became a crater, a soup of darkness that Remi bobbed in as a loose, evaporating spirit. Even now, the wyrm sank ever deeper, yet she…
I can’t rest, Remi begged.
I’m still not even dead! But… but if I go back to her now… and I don’t even know what happened to the part Necrozma split off… Please! Is there any way I can’t… I can still stick around? I need to help. I need to help Dad, and Mom, and… the whole world! It’s not over! This war isn’t over, he’s still out there, please!
This was such a new feeling, desperation without a body. All her feelings felt more pronounced and desperate, with no flesh to squeeze or claws to scrape. It was all pure feeling. Did the wyrm even feel it back?
By sheer will, Remi couldn’t rest. Perhaps most other spirits would have drifted away by now. The dark protector was surprised when Remi stayed there, floating.
You… really won’t rest, he said.
And that light in you… maybe you are stronger after all…
I don’t care what it is that keeps me here. But I won’t give up. If you know a way…
To this, he shifted uncomfortably again.
The protector did know. There was a way.
Just tell me. I deserve to know, don’t I? What do you have to lose?
More uncomfortable silence, but then it finally relented when Remi’s strength was certainly not giving out.
I can send you back. I can… give you a new life. I can keep giving you life until the time comes when you can help again, somehow. Some way, perhaps… your calling will come back. I don’t know. But if you still want to help the world, even in little ways, until you can rise to action again… you can reincarnate.
Re… reincarnate. As in…
A new life with your small, powerful soul fragment. But… you won’t remember a thing. You won’t be divine, tapping into your old memories of your old life—this life. You’ll just… be another person. I’ll… I’ll try to make it so you’re similar. That maybe little echoes of who you were can… manifest. But that would be all.
And… that’s the only way.
I’m sorry. It is. And even now, I don’t think you can endure the time it would take to get your body back. There is no winning here… I’m sorry.
…But will I recognize Dad? And Mom? Can I still help them?
I… don’t know. Maybe. Normally… no. But that light… maybe it will resonate. Maybe it will call out. But I just don’t know. I don’t know if ‘you’ will ever return, either. Reincarnation is a new life on top of the old. Your new life can easily be more important to ‘you’ than the ‘you’ that you are now.
That went right over her nonexistent head.
But, with patience, the protector elaborated.
Your new life isn’t just temporary. It will be all the same to your spirit. You will have to accept that. Your name…
Remi.
‘Remi’ will be the past. And who you become… all those new lives will layer on top of this one, until you’re awakened again. And when that happens… are you ready to accept that you may not be ‘Remi’ anymore? That you might prefer being that new person? Or even several persons, and not Remi?
…Will I still remember everyone, one day? Can I still help them?
The soul… never forgets. It only seals those memories for a time. But what it does with new memories… might invalidate the old.
Nothing’s gonna make this invalid. Not until it’s all over… I know I won’t abandon what happened to Dad. I’ll protect him! I’ll see him, and I won’t even recognize him, but I’ll take care of him! I… owe that much to him… And then I’ll save Mom, too. I’ll pull her from whatever happened by that Hydreigon, and I’ll make sure he pays, too!
The wyrm rumbled in the expanding pool of darkness.
Your will to survive… is incredible, Remi. I’ll do everything I can to help.
But it may be lifetimes. And… you may live most of them, maybe all of them, as different feral creatures.
Yeah, well… I’m called feral a lot anyway since I inherited Dad’s Battleheart. I’ll be fine being one.
Another little chuckle.
Then you have nothing to fear. If you’re ready…
I am.
Then… goodbye, Remi. I’ll see you later.
She sank into the dark. She had no eyes, and yet it felt like they were closing. Enveloped in something warm and hard. And then, fleetingly, she tried her hardest, her absolute hardest, to remember her goal. This wasn’t giving up.
This was waiting.
And one day, she and all her other selves would wake up.
Then, she would finally save the world… with her whole family by her side.
<><><>
I lost my body. I lost my mind. I even lost my past. But even when the world took everything from me, I still had one thing left: a plan. People call me naïve and childish. And sure, maybe I am. But that comes with resilience.
The same resilience that my family had to keep fighting. The resilience that Mom had to survive because I know she did. Somehow, I know she’s out there. The resilience that Dad had to tame that dark power, all to save my home. And now I need to return the favor.
All is not lost. I can still do a little more when the time comes.
My spirit will live on.
